Synology DSM 7 + PMS + Goofy Friends = Sad

[DMeNTED556]

Hey folks… so I helped a friend setup PMS on a Synology NAS a year or two ago. I’m running a DS1621 that’s still on DSM 6x but it looks like he went on and upgraded the OS on the NAS to DSM 7.1-42661 Update 4 without doing any of the PMS steps as best as I can tell.

I noticed the other day his plex server wasn’t accessible from my clients (we share libraries) and when I asked him he said “yeah my Plex has been acting up”

So I’m trying to help him out.

I see a plex share and a plexmediaserver share… despite uninstalling and installing the DSM7 package I downloaded from the site I see no migration log.

Can I move the PMS files from plexmediaserver back to the plex volume and do a complete remove of the Plex package from DSM? Then reinstall using the package from the plex website or are there some other steps to completely rip it out and reinstall? If I do that will it migrate all the appdata from plex back to plexmediaserver?

I checked all the permissions (they were screwed) and fixed them per some of the help posts and articles but it doesn’t seem to be getting me any love. The only other thing I can thing is I’m remotely connected to his NAS and maybe plex is “semi-” working and I need local access to verify. Once he’s back (travelling) I will have to remote into his PC so I can access it from local lan.

Also, remind me to help people less…

thx.

[ChuckPa]

@DMeNTED556

If you have no Migration.log then everything in PlexMediaServer is a new server.

That said, Does a full server still exist in the Plex share?

That will tell us what can be done

[DMeNTED556]

The plex share just looks like it contains media files in his libraries folders.

The plexmediashare has appdata folder.

[ChuckPa]

As long as you have a Plex shared folder with

Plex/
  Library/
    Application Support/
      Plex Media Server/
          Cache/
          Codecs/
          Crash Reports/
          Logs/
          Media/
          Metadata/
          Plug-ins/
          Plug-in Support/
          Preferences.xml

Then the migration of the DSM 6 server can occur.

Steps

1. Uninstall the DSM 7 package using the ERASE option
   This will completely remove the rogue & unwanted DSM 7 installation

2. Perform a “Scenario 2” migration (because it didn’t occur naturally the first time)
   You will want to begin at Step 4 of Scenario 2 (see the FAQ link below)

3. As you assign the “Full Control” permissions, permissions MUST be “Apply to this folder, sub-folders and files” else migration will fail or PMS will malfunction later.

4. Do not be alarmed if it sits at “Installing” for a long time. This is normal and expected.

5. Do not navigate away from the “Installing” tab in the browser. Open a new session tab to the Syno to look at the Migration log.

6. It is normal for some Synology systems to claim “Operation Failed” and exit from Package Center . Migration.log will show you current progress and when complete.

7. The final message in Migration.log will be “Clean /volume1/Plex” . This is where PMS remnants are removed from the “Plex” shared folder.

Note: The installation / Migration script will check several things before it starts.
If it doesn’t like something, it will exit the installation with a popup message.
That message will tell you the error and how to fix it.

After taking the corrective action, you may start the installation again.

Synology FAQ - Questions, Answers, and a few How-To's

FAQ 27 - Migrating an existing PMS from DSM 6 to DSM 7 Upgrading PMS from DSM 6 → DSM 7 DSM 7 no longer allows us to go find the metadata directory and use it across volumes before starting PMS (This is the lack of “root” privilege blocking). As such we require the following two conditions are met we will attempt to automatically migrate you; You have an existing DSM 6-created PMS installation and PMS is installed on the SAME STORAGE VOLUME as the “Plex” shared folder (this is critical) …

Please ask if you have any questions before embarking on this task. It has a lot of moving parts and a lot of data moving around.

[DMeNTED556]

Can I copy the application support folder from the plexmediashare back to plex then do the erase option? One other thing I was reading about was having to reclaim the server after a password change, I will check with him when he has local access and see if that’s the issue before we do anything too drastic.

[ChuckPa]

@DMeNTED556

I asked about what you had in the Plex share because, I presumed, you wanted to migrate (keep) the server instance , with all its data, from DSM 6 → DSM 7.

@DMeNTED556

Can I copy the application support folder from the plexmediashare back to plex then do the erase option?

I’m confused here because there is no “Application Support” folder under PlexMediaServer. I had changed the structure to avoid confusion caused by the name “Library”.

Did you manually create a PlexMediaServer/Library/Application Support folder structure ?

[DMeNTED556]

Sorry I’m removing in and was AppData.

His structure is as follows:

Plex\Library[multiple library folders containing mkv’s]

PlexMediaServer\Appdata\Plex Media Server\

The PMS folder under PlexMediaServer share contains cache, codecs, etc. as well as a preferences.xml.

It appears that the PMS related files/settings are on the PlexMediaServer share and the library with subfolders & media files are in the old PLEX share.

[ChuckPa]

@DMeNTED556

Plex\Library[multiple library folders containing mkv’s]

This is going to be messy but why I changed the folder names.

Plex naming calls too many things “Library” and makes it very easy to get confused.
I changed to “AppData” so folks know that it is the “APPlication’s internal DATA” (where the metadata lives). The naming follows a bit of Windows naming convention – which is known to many – and HOPEFULLY less likely to get media stuffed in it (which will break it all)

The installation-migration code is setup this way:

1. It looks for Plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Preferences.xml
2. If it finds that AND PlexMediaServer/AppData/Plex Media Server does not exist
3. Then it will start migration

The migration is only concerned with the contents of Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server (which is the DSM 6 server & metadata)

Anything else in the Plex shared folder is ignored.

Given there exists media in Plex/Library before migration,
It will still be there AFTER migration.

If we do this manually-

1. Uninstall the Plex app with the KEEP option (default)

2. Make certain we still have the valid Plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server folder with folders underneath it

3. We can now delete the PlexMediaServer shared folder. |
   (Control Panel - Shared Folder). It will get recreated fresh during installation.

4. Using FileStation, Right-click Plex → Properties -> Permissions`
   This brings up the permissions page.
   

   

5. If you don’t see “PlexMediaServer” then “Create” (Start a rule) and select PlexMediaServer. After selecting, click anywhere else in that popup to lock in.

– Locked in PlexMediaServer

– Select all the permissions (Administrative, Read, Write)

– Click DONE to finish creating the rule

– Back on the main Permission tab, check "Apply to this folder, sub-folders and files.

– Click SAVE

– Let it apply the new rule to all the files and folders in the “Plex” shared folder.

6. When it’s complete - Manual install the Plex DSM 7 package

7. It will give you the typical DSM 7 3rd party warning.

8. Normal install

9. Let it get started.

10. It will now do everything it needs for installation AND move the files to PlexMediaServer

11. INFO: If you migrate away from this tab, the installer page will disappear (typical Syno)

12. IF, for any reason, DSM 7 complains “Operation Failed”. IGNORE IT.
    It’s a security warning . Some folks see it while others don’t.

13. In a new tab, after about 3-4 minutes, in the “Plex” shared folder, you will see “Migration.log”

14. Right-click → Open with Text Editor

15. Now you can periodically check the progress.

16. The final stage is "Clean /volume1/Plex`

Because of this situation, “Library” will still exist.
It exists because I am very careful NOT to delete media files.

I only remove it IF it’s empty (and it’s not)

IF YOU WANT – MOVE the MKVs now, before you install …
and put them back when done -OR- edit the Plex section settings.

[DMeNTED556]

Thanks so much for the help - I followed those steps and his plex is now up and running.

I uninstalled plex from my DMS 6 nas, upgraded to 7, and ran through the install (had to run it twice after fixing permissions) and I’m up and running too. I had held off but decided I might as well since it wasn’t too hard to fix his screw up.

Thanks!!!

[ChuckPa]

I’m glad you’re up and running now.

Do you like what I am able to do now on DSM 7 with the installation help menus?

You might not notice but I was also able to add support for the 8 most commonly spoken languages in the menus.